Chapter 6 - The Anatomy of a Trap
The takeover of the Aegis was completed in less than four minutes.
Coast Guard tactical teams boarded from the stern, disarming Sterling’s hired mercenaries before a single shot could be fired. The ship’s engines were cut, leaving the luxury megayacht drifting helplessly in the dark chop of the harbor.
Inside the master stateroom, Victor Sterling sat slumped in a high-backed leather chair, heavy steel handcuffs securing his wrists behind his back. Federal agents were busy cataloging the servers, packing laptops and hard drives into yellow evidence bags.
The heavy door opened, and Luca Moretti stepped into the room.
His black overcoat was damp with rain, droplets of water glistening on his slicked-back raven hair. He walked with slow, unhurried steps, stopping a few feet from where Sterling sat bound.
Sterling glared up at him with pure, unadulterated hatred. "You think you've won, Moretti? You're a mobster! You're just as dirty as I am! The federal prosecutors will turn on you the moment they finish with me!"
Luca pulled his solid-gold fountain pen from his pocket, turning it idly between his long fingers. "You always lacked vision, Victor. You saw the world as a giant trough where the strong could feed upon the weak with impunity."
"And what are you?" Sterling spat, blood mixing with his saliva. "A saint?"
"I am an auditor of debts," Luca replied coldly, his voice devoid of anger. "Your mistake was believing that Arthur Vance was alone. You thought because he was an honest man, he was helpless. You forgot that honest men have friends who are far less civil."
Luca leaned down, his dark eyes locking onto Sterling's trembling pupils. "Every bank account your Syndicate operated has been drained. Every politician on your payroll was arrested an hour ago based on the records Arthur left behind. You have no money. You have no allies. You have no future."
A federal prosecutor stepped up beside Luca, holding an official court document. "Victor Sterling, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, racketeering, federal tax evasion, and treason. You will be transported to a maximum-security federal holding facility immediately."
Two agents grabbed Sterling by his arms, hauling him out of the chair. As they dragged him toward the door, Sterling looked back over his shoulder, his voice rising into a desperate, pathetic screech.
"You won't get away with this, Moretti! My lawyers will dismantle your family! I'll destroy you!"
Luca didn't answer. He simply turned his back on the disgraced mogul, walking toward the window to watch the rain fall over the distant lights of Manhattan.
His phone vibrated in his vest pocket. He pulled it out and pressed it to his ear.
"It is done, Mrs. Vance," Luca said softly into the receiver. "Sterling is in federal custody. The Syndicate has fallen."
On the other end of the line, sitting in the quiet safety of the hospital suite, Elena let out a long, quiet breath that seemed to carry the weight of three weeks of suffocating terror.
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"Is my son safe now, Luca?" she asked, her voice trembling with emotion. "Really safe?"
Luca looked at his reflection in the dark window pane, his face calm and resolute. "As long as I draw breath, Elena, no harm will ever come to your family again. You have my word as a Moretti."
